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Tim the Mechanic Our Heroes Car Parts cars Tim's Story Paul's Truck
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Fellow Friends of Bill W. & Those seeking a sober life: My name is Tim and I’m an alcoholic.
As I sit here at my computer at my desk, I look back 7 years when I was living
in a city park under a tree. My
sole pursuit in life was alcohol.
“God, I offer myself to Thee, to build with me and do with me as Thy
will. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will.
Take away my difficulties so that victory over them may bear witness to
those I might help, of Thy power, Thy love and Thy way of life.
May I do Thy will always.” I got into the work, doing the steps.
I’d work on cars wherever they were parked for 3 months of so.
Then I met Dan through a friend in the program.
I did some work for him and we camped in his warehouse parking lot
awhile. He offered me the use of
a building he used for storage to work on cars.
It was 2200 square feet, mostly filled with cars.
I didn’t know if it was God’s will or not. But a couple of weeks later I had a clutch job and needed a
place to do it. Business had picked up. We
started living in the camper across from the shop, but I was drawing
attention as well. City zoning
step into the picture, and I made some changes.
All the shop had was a toilet that had been there since the 40s’.
over the next few months, I worked on cars or on the building 24/7.
I built my own bathroom from scratch, literally, except for the
plumbing. It was filled with
little miracles along the way; I needed things like bathtub, shower stuff. I picked it all up from the most unusual places.
One job I picked up originally turned out that I didn’t get paid on - a
house remodel job. The contractor
took of with the money. But he
was storing stuff left over from that job and other remodel jobs in my shop (we had took
over payments & moved out all the car by then).
In any other situation it would be considered junk, but mixed in was a
lot if the things I needed.
A few days ago I registered my trade name, "Tim the Mechanic" and opened a business account. My mom is flying down from Spokane to spend the 4th of July holiday with me, and my sister's coming from California. 8/6/04 Submitting business plan for grant to kick-start business. Every prayer helps, so friends & family feel free to add your prayers to mine that this gets accepted. I might get a grant or loan for enough to go completely professional. 2/6/05 Now in my new home for one year. Celebrated 4 years of sobriety on 1/20/05. Still no luck on the business plan, but mostly because of life's "distractions". Refinancing my home will hopefully give the boost I need. My sister Linda arrived here in Colorado 2 days ago with everything she owns and her family. She wants us to share our stories on recovery together, to others still suffering and she plans on starting a ministry for women in recovery. Miracles happen everyday... more later... 9/03/05 A million things have happened since my last update. Good things and bad. My family has settled in well, business is great but still cluttered with the occasional chaos. Still sober, though, celebrated 4 years last January, now getting closer to 5. Lost two of my closest friends to suicide: first, my pastor Bruce McBogg. A man I've always looked up to, a truly "Godly man". Bruce had overcome more than I ever could, bringing perhaps thousands to the Lord. It's actually been a year now since his passing. I'm still not over it, really. Bruce started life on the wrong side of life, as many of us have. At a young age he was involved in an armed robbery, sentenced to life in prison after taking someone's life. The Lord released him and he in turn started a ministry that saved many lost souls. "Christ's Body Ministries", at 850 Lincoln, Denver. They helped save my life - Bruce baptized me in 1998, married me in '02. They minister to the homeless and less fortunate people. He gave his life's testimony in a book, "The Road to Nowhere is a Two Way Street." There were 100's of people at his memorial, a lot of people who loved him... "Rest in Peace, my brother". Jeff Barry took his life in May or June- he wasn't found for awhile afterwards. Jeff help me when I was still a tramp, living is City Park. He's one of those he spent his time helping other. I wonder where both of these men would be now had they been able to see their own memorial services before making that last decision of their lives. Likewise, his memorial service brought many friends and lives he had changed for the better... "I hope and pray that the Lord brought you home, my friend". Things have continued to change since I first started this website. It's now January 6th, 2006! Hard to imagine I still live in the same house, next month will be 2 years. I can't remember ever living in one place that long. Apparently, sobriety and I do well together. And everything keeps getting better. 5 years sober in two weeks! UPDATE: 2-03-06 WONDERFUL NEWS!!! The miracles don't stop. In the last 5 years it seems that I learned a few things about life, how to truly trusting in God for what I need. I must be doing something right, because He's blessed my life in every way. The most awesome gift of all happened yesterday. I was reunited with my daughter Amber. It's just now soaking in. Further updates later. UPDATE 9-29-07 Life just keeps getting better, really haven't remember to update. Another day more cars and trucks. 2 or 300 since last here. Finally found the truck I've been wanting forever. Details at : cars . She's a show truck. May 13th, 2008 Big changes since my last update. I found out that the mortgage broker and appraiser who did the last refinance on my home screwed me, and we had to make some changes - It's a long depressing story that I will not go into, but here's living proof that when God closes one door he opens another. Struggling to to maintain a $2000 mortgage payment every month, working in snow, mud, rain dirt outside was taking it's toll. Then a good customer Dale whom had also become a friend showed me a shop that was coming open soon on his property that he offered to share with me. Then it turned out it wasn't big enough for what he needed and I took over the whole shop. It was everything I'd ever dreamed of and more: 3 bays, 2 with twelve foot doors and one smaller. Someone with some big dreams had built it and had a heart attack, or so I'm told. Then for the past few years several people had tried to use for other things and failed, and for the last year or so was left as storage. So I moved in, spent night and day setting it up. It has a waste oil furnace - burns used motor oil and transmission fluid. I had to service it, replace parts, etc., but now it works great! It was piped for an air compressor, so now my big compressor is hooked where I can plug into air anywhere! Any I met an automatic transmission specialist, Fred West, who amazes me with his knowledge. He has the same values concerning honest work and now has his transmission shop set up is part of my shop. Then, during all this, a cute little 2 bedroom house on the same property became vacant. And it can be nothing less then what I can "A God Thing..." I have my shop a cute little house next door, both for $500 less a month then my other house. I still don't really advertise, and my shop stay busy. I can do twice the work in half the time. So keep the faith my friends and know sobriety is still my number one priority. I will update this more later. It's a cold and raining day outside but I have a nice dry and warm shop to work in. 4-8-09 It's been a long time since updating. It's now spring and I'm still going. 8 years sober on 1-20-09. Work's been steady, life's been pretty good. Suffered a couple losses, and waiting for my mom to pass on now. Revisited my home stomping ground in Spokane and had some closure on family issues. It's only the second time I've been there in 15 years. Felt like a ghost from the past. Streets I'd lived on and off for nearly 30 years. More on this later. This website is a way for me to count my blessings. If I remember where I came from and what I've accomplished - with the Lord's loving hand - I won't lose it. To see my family again, all sober and growing stronger day by day, was a necessary thing. It's making amends without words. My sister Linda has 20 years plus sober. Now my sister Joy has 2 years sober. What a miracle! My mom, the one who brought me here is almost gone. To see her was heartbreaking... Joy's been her caretaker for the last 8 month (?) and the growth in Joy's spirituality is unbelievable. Update: 5-3-09 -I've been in this shop for over 14 months now. There's been a few setbacks, but bills get paid and life is good. My experience with cars just keeps growing. I started this business 8 years ago with a small box of tools, business cards, a cell phone living in a camper mounted on a pickup. Everything I owned. Now I'd need nearly a 2 ton flatbed just to move my tools.
Love and blessings,
Tim Branthoover
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